Message to your 12 year old self…

Over at fark a while back, there was a LONG discussion in the forums here. The subject is, “If you could go back in time and tell your 12-year old self one thing, what would it be? Difficulty, no stock tips.”

The ensuing discussion is REALLY long, but it was also a good mix of thought-provoking and entertaining comments. Basically, most things people say are in one of 4 categories:

1) Take opportunities or you will regret it. (For most people this equates to “You could have a relationship with [certain person] in [number] years if you just ask him/her.)
2) Try hard, or you will regret it.
3) If you love someone, tell them every day, or you will regret it. Also related to this, alot of people said something to the effect of “Get [certain loved person] to a doctor before they [die , collapse, etc.] to be screened for [debilitating or deadly condition, usually cancer], no matter how they say they don’t want to.”
4) Be forgiving, but be strong.

What would I say to myself? Probably not too much. Even though my angst-filled teenage years were pretty difficult, there really isn’t that much that I regret. Maybe just the following:
1) You’re not going to hit puberty for another 4 years, so be patient with your puny body. You’re not athletic either, so don’t expect too much even after you do.
2) Feel free to (try to) date girls and stuff in high school, but don’t be too serious about girls until you’re older and in college. They unfortunately won’t be serious about you until you’re 24 or so. If you decide to date [name witheld] in high school, know that she will only be interested in you as a temporary surrogate boyfriend that treats her nice, and she’ll be sleeping with at least two of your friends while you think you’re dating her. (This really happened.) Also, don’t date [name witheld] when you’re at OU. She actually has a fiancé back in her hometown, and she’s only dating you in order to make an excuse to break up her engagement. (This actually happened too!)